1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to traps, and, more particularly, to leg hold traps.
2. Description of the Related Art
Trapping is a very old method of hunting, perhaps one of the first. It often requires less time and energy than other methods, and can give an excellent if not predictable result. Trapping is comparatively safe for a hunter and was one of the main economic forces in the early days of North American settlements. Even today many people rely on traps to remove small animals, such as mice.
Traps can be divided into four categories including body gripping traps, snares, cages and leg hold traps. Body gripping traps are designed to quickly kill the animal that is caught. An animal is lured or guided into a preferred position before the trap is triggered. The trap is built to deliver near instant death to the animal. Most, if not all, of the traps of this type rely on blunt force trauma so as to not destroy the pelt of the animal being taken. Snares are one of the simplest traps and can be quite effective. Snares are generally made of a wire and they are cheap to produce and are often set in large numbers. A problem with snares is that they can kill animals for years after the trapper has left the area, since they are often simply abandoned or forgotten since they are so inexpensive. Snares can be of the locking or free running type. A locking snare has a small lock that makes sure that the snare can only get tighter as the animal struggles against it, often leading to strangulation. A free running snare works similar to a leash for a dog, it keeps the animal in place but without hurting it. Cage traps are open cages, usually baited, with a trigger that closes the cage around the animal when it is inside.
Leg hold traps are often made of a rather simple mechanism. They will generally have two jaws, a spring of some sort and a trigger in the middle. When the animal steps on the trigger the trap closes around the leg holding the animal in place. Usually some kind of lure is used to get the animal into position, or the trap is set on an animal trail. Traditionally, the traps had close and tightly closing teeth to make sure that the animal stayed in place. The teeth also made sure the animal could not move a leg in the trap and wear the coat. However, this often resulted in a lot of animals gnawing their way out of the trap. More modern traps have a gap and work more like a handcuff. They grip above the paw, making sure the animal can't pull out from the trap but does not destroy the leg. This allows the trapper to release unwanted catches.
What is needed in the art is a humane leg hold trap that is simple and cost efficient to produce.